I received this letter from New Hanover County Board of Education member Janice Cavenaugh about Elizabeth Redenbaugh’s recent Profile In Courage award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.

“As a member of the board I have been labeled a racist for simply supporting neighborhood schools. I believe it has taken a great deal of courage for me to consistently stand for my convictions despite the personal attacks.

I don’t understand a profiles in courage award for a board member who won’t even send her own children to inner city schools. Ms. Redenbaugh espouses one position but does not abide by her own position. She continues to send her children to suburban schools that she believes to be unequal in a socioeconomic manner. When the computerized map based on the Wake County diversity model sent her neighborhood to an inner city school she vigorously opposed that move. That to me is not a profile in courage.

This entire affair is offensive. Ms Redenbaugh, through her inferences and actions, has accused both fellow Board Memembers and this community of being racist. This Community and this School Board NEVER supported returning to “segregated” schools…NEVER……so what was she “fighting”….and the Star News and the other local media outlets that have perpetrated this embarrasing fraud, this sham, have fallen to a new low: ‘tabloid liberal bias journalism’. And your Publisher and Editors should be ashamed of themselves. Like Rev. Barber, you encourage the continuation of racism in our country, based on some perverted personal, political motivation. Even this picture is a staged, racist generality which you perpetuate…the gallant, pure, white heroine, saving the poor black child and minority from the racist whites….shame on you all…and, you use these children, and our children, as pawns in your racist, liberal farce.

janice you do not or should not even be on the board of education
you are a disgrace to this board you are just jealous of this lady
so shut up or leave the board asap and the rest that do not like it leave too

All this busing around is bad for the economy, dangerous for kids (school buses are notoriously unsafe – they don’t even have seat belts which SHOULD be ILLEGAL!), doesn’t help inner city kids for the most part, and certainly doesn’t help suburban kids by exposing them to inner city gangs. It is the WORST of ALL POSSIBLE solutions, and here we have this woman getting an award for “valiantly” sticking up for it… makes one wonder what the real agenda is by giving out such an award.

When making such accusations should include your name and address so you can be legally challenged. You throw out an accusation…but under an anonymous name “Concerned”. You note, my name is attached to my comments. I have been a proud single father, raised alone 2 children now in college, yes, I admit to 2 speeding tickets in the last 12 years, you do the math…duh!

You can see from Mr. Hewett’s comments that ‘violence’ is more apt to take place on the ‘left’ than ‘right’..Mr. Hewett, what a great example you set for our Public School Children (“shut up or leave the board asap and the rest that do not like it leave too”)…he fails to acknowledge that a vast majority of NHC voters and parents have supported the Board majority’s policies…and, voted twice to turn away and turn out those who did not support such…I guess we are to accept that the elitist Redenbaugh, Rhodes (who got fired), and Carolyn Kennedy know better than “we the people”…

“This Board of Education has made us the laughing stock of the country.”

Interesting…however, “facts” can be pesky things…check out our performance growth…in all demographics…against the other metorpolitan areas of NC. The policies fought by the ‘left’ on the NHC School Board, and overwhelmingly supported by the public (for more than 2 elections), are yielding success. And, let’s not forget that all promised capital projects under budget and on time – in “fact”, we got one more school than planned for no more money! We also have “choice”, magnet, alternative calendar, early college schools and a ‘hardship’ process that has almost 100% approval. And, lastely, they have brought kids back to their neighborhoods, by upgrading all schools and their teaching and physical resources…”facts” are pesky things…especially to liberals that would have this State and Country continue to support the failed bureaucracy, and their failed years of failed policies….

P.S. this School Board spends more money, time and resources per student, both by choice and by law, on black and minority students assigned to inner city schools..”facts”…check it out for yourself…is that making us a “laughing stock”?

With all of the talk of Virgo closing, where are the proponents of neighborhood schools? It is a neighborhood schools whose children, if closed, will be forced to a separate “neighborhood” school. Seems the concept is only for those wanting certain neighborhoods.

Thank you Janic Cavenaugh. You have shown real courage and you are right. Ms. Redenbaugh is a coward and a hypocrite. Ms. Redenbaugh ran for election of the platform of neighborhood schools and apparently still believes in that idea as her children go to schools near their neighborhood. Her son goes to Myrtle Grove Middle and not Williston or Virgo. If she is so courageous and believed in “socioeconomic balance”, she would use “open enrollment” and move her kids today!! Thank you Curtis Wright for calling out Ms. Redenbaugh. Ms. Redenbaugh used the word “racists” to describe the supporters of neighborhood schools. This is not the 1960’s. Blacks and Whites can and do live in the same neighborhoods. 4 of my closest 10 (by distance) neighbors are minorities. I have absolutely no problem with their children going to the same school as my kids. I do have a problem with passing one or two of the closest schools to me to take my kids to school and so do my neighbors. Ms. Redenbaugh is out of touch with students, parents, teachers and school administrators. If she accepts this award, she is committing FRAUD!!!

Curtis, the behavior of the adults in charge makes us a “laughing stock”. I’m amazed at the level of immaturity on both sides. This letter from Janice Cavenaugh is just one more example. Ed Higgins stated his disapproval without any childish displays involved. Janice could have made the choice to do the same. Instead she choice to make personal jabs. As for her statement that Elizabeth “espouses one position but does not abide by her own position”. If her statements are true, then that may very well be the case. I can only hope that Janice’s obvious distaste of this behavior will mean that she plans to fight for the students of Virgo to remain in THEIR neighborhood school. Otherwise, she would be guilty of the same infraction as Elizabeth. And just to be clear….I’m conservative not liberal. And I have no problem putting my name on here…..

“Instead she choice (chose) to make personal jabs”….I wonder, if you were called over and over again, in public, a “racist”…could you hold your temper, could you not want to strike back with a “jab”? I wonder…I don’t know how long I would allow someone to smear my honorable intentions to help children by calling me a “racist” in public…a completely unfounded charge…and, let’s not forget…Redenbaugh has called ALL of us in this community that support ‘neighborhood schools’ racists…now, what say you?

P.S. Virgo is an outdated, inefficient school facility that could be used for other programs, and allow kids to go to a more effective educational environment for now.

Ms. Redenbaugh has a choice to make. Either move you own kids to schools that need socioeconomic balance or do not accept the award. Her son goes to Myrtle Grove Middle School. The Kennedy Foundation will hear about this. I don’t think they will appreicate being “duped” by this behavior. If the Star-News and other media outlets would balance their reporting, they would see that Ms. Redenbaugh say one thing, but does another. Is that courageous????

LET THE JFK LIBARY FOUNDATION KNOW OF THIS FRAUDULENT AWARD (THERE IS NO ‘RE-SEGREGATION POLICY’ TO FIGHT AGIAINST)…HOW REDENBAUGH HAS TAGGED US ALL WHO SUPPORT NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS AS “RACISTS”…HOW SHE DOES NOT PRACTICE WHAT SHE PREACHES!!!

“Virgo is an outdated, inefficient school facility that could be used for other programs, and allow kids to go to a more effective educational environment for now.” When millions of dollars are spent first on other schools, then there is a disparity. Why move those children “for now” when others could’ve been moved earlier to support the changes needed for Virgo and its community? Again, though, the point made was, where are the neighborhood school proponents now?

Let me tell you who deserves a Profile in Courage award. It’s all the parents who went to all those redistricting meetings and fought to keep their children in their neighborhood schools. With voices that quivered in rage about their children having to get up at 5am and be bused to Castle Hayne! It was NEVER EVER about race. We inadvertently used words like neighborhood and busing and we set off Elizabeth’s liberal radar detector and she called us racists. That set off alarms at the Star News and we were off the the races.
That Elizabeth would be given this award after causing so much pain to New Hanover citizens with her baseless accusations is an outrage.
Thank you Janice and Curtis for calling it like it is!

They are still busing the kids from downtown and kids from Porter’s Neck to the new Holly Shelter Middle School. What about those kids that have to get up at 5am to get bused? Guess as long as you got yours everyone else can go pound sand. Its the selfish attitude of many that stop a better long term plan from being established.

If you don’t think this is all about race, you are wrong. I live this every day. What pain have you felt, Carol Kramer? Michael, are you sane? Curtis, do you make your entire living off uniformed, scared white people.

With all of the talk of DC Virgo closing, where are the proponents of neighborhood schools now? Seems the concept is only for those who live in the “right” neighborhoods…

The only embarrassing thing about Ms. Redenbaugh’s award is the fact that the rest of the country now knows what a racist system we have here. We can only hope that change will come.

What a thing for an adult to say!!!!!! get these old foggies off the school board like higgins, hayes and cavanaugh. they have backed flipped so much over the years. If u don’t dance to their music they find a way to make u look bad….does Ms. C thinks she deserved this award….NOT

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